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[Yes Boss!]

Honestly, I vastly prefer Mushihime-sama to Ibara, so I would get that. Though ESPGaluda tops em both, as far as PS2 Cave ports go.

That is the sole PS2 Cave game I've got. Lots of fun but I've only played it for a few hours and it seems I generally prefer a ships to the flying people. I just started to collect shooters beginning last year after a fifteen year break (stopped at the end of the PC-Engine). Any hints about some of the standards I should be pursuing (not just Cave) would be welcome as I've been trying to buy one or two classics every month...this month its Gradius V and Sapphire. I don't have a Japanese Saturn which seems the next big thing I should be thinking about. Kinda want that Mars Matrix game.

 

[sixteen-bit]

That is the sole PS2 Cave game I've got. Lots of fun but I've only played it for a few hours and it seems I generally prefer a ships to the flying people. I just started to collect shooters beginning last year after a fifteen year break (stopped at the end of the PC-Engine). Any hints about some of the standards I should be pursuing (not just Cave) would be welcome as I've been trying to buy one or two classics every month...this month its Gradius V and Sapphire. I don't have a Japanese Saturn which seems the next big thing I should be thinking about. Kinda want that Mars Matrix game.

But Mars Matrix is on Dreamcast

 

[Yes Boss!]

But Mars Matrix is on Dreamcast

Damn, you are right. See how little I know! Still, want it! It has been a decade since I had a Dreamcast and never owned any third-party games for it, only all the crazy Sega stuff. Funny story: I was going to school in Paris the year Dreamcast launched and had a blast over there but then came back to the US and it was already on its way out!

 

[Jason]

Holy shit even the Taito Best reprint of Mushi goes for a lot of money. I had no idea. I bought it for like $30 two years ago. Now I think I should sell mine. :lol

Yes Boss! it seems like you're doing the right thing buying all the 360 ports as they come out rather than eating ridiculous aftermarket prices later.

Now I'm really considering Deathsmiles and Ketsui now even without a J-360. Mushi Futari was a given already.

Holy fuck at Ketsui Death Label's value too.

Yes, sell it to me for $40.

 

[sixteen-bit]

no deal

 

[Jason]

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Mushihime on Original isn't too bad though it actually feels closer to a Psikyo shooter at times(faster spreads but they're less complicated). I never played around with the other settings that much(which essentially add in more bullets). The Arrange mode boasts an obscene amount of firepower(and your hitbox is dropped to the size of a 10th of a pixel to compensate) and a jerkass additional form of the final boss who simply turns the screen purple until you die.
My best and worst performance in Original mode was making it all the way to stage 4 without losing a life. A 1CC should have been semi-smooth sailing from there(hell I could probably bomb my way through the rest of the game at that point) but then I go and lose all of my lives in less than 30 seconds. So much bitter rage.

I regret selling DoJ/Galuda/Mush so much =/. Sure I needed the money but dammit.. =(

 

[Baron]

The last shmup I sold off was Radiant Silvergun, like, six years ago - I was broke and desperately needed money that month. I totally regret it to this day, and I never sold off a shmup I owned again. So glad I picked up the PS2 Cave games a couple of years ago before they got too hard to find. Even Ibara, I saw it was getting hard to find about two years ago and leaped at the chance when I found a new copy for $80.

Actually, now that I think more about it, I sold off the NA release of Giga Wing 2 back in 2005, but rebought it (the Japan version, though) just this year. See! It doesn't work, this shmup selling. I feel for you, Pepsiman versus Joseph.

 

[andymcc]

Mushihime on Original isn't too bad though it actually feels closer to a Psikyo shooter at times(faster spreads but they're less complicated). I never played around with the other settings that much(which essentially add in more bullets). The Arrange mode boasts an obscene amount of firepower(and your hitbox is dropped to the size of a 10th of a pixel to compensate) and a jerkass additional form of the final boss who simply turns the screen purple until you die.
My best and worst performance in Original mode was making it all the way to stage 4 without losing a life. A 1CC should have been semi-smooth sailing from there(hell I could probably bomb my way through the rest of the game at that point) but then I go and lose all of my lives in less than 30 seconds. So much bitter rage.

I regret selling DoJ/Galuda/Mush so much =/. Sure I needed the money but dammit.. =(

yeah, mushihime is worth so much money now too! i feel for you bro. i sold my dracula x i bought in japan for $150 (after paying $60) and now i want it back. : (

original mode IS reminiscent of a psikyo shooter, but i always played the game on maniac. orignal adds more bullets, sure, but the bullet patterns and spreads themselves are a lot different. it's much more like a cave game.

no deal

$41!

 

[shintoki]

Another annoying noob question

Will the Otem G game go rare? Basically Should I get that or DonDon BL for my next purchase in a month? Yes, I'm still new to the import Shump scene :lol

 

[Llyranor]

Wait, so Dodonpachi 360 is okay? I was just under the impression that the port was horrible. I don't really care about score; my main goal in shmups is 1cc.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Wait, so Dodonpachi 360 is okay? I was just under the impression that the port was horrible. I don't really care about score; my main goal in shmups is 1cc.

Newbies to the game (like myself) will think it awesome...the 360 version is certainly my favorite shooter in my smallish collection of about fifty shooters...while seasoned players will find some of the technical changes game-breaking. That has been the refrain.

Also, it is supposed to be patched both electronically and through a disc replacement/rerelease scenario. Who knows when that is scheduled.

And, my Death Smiles stick shipped this morning. As is customary, I'll put photos of it in the Arcade Stick thread after it arrives from the other side of the country, but I'll also put them here.

Another annoying noob question

Will the Otem G game go rare? Basically Should I get that or DonDon BL for my next purchase in a month? Yes, I'm still new to the import Shump scene :lol

I don't think you have to worry about Oto-G going OOP in the near future. Seems to be plenty out there and even Play-asia discounted their Stick package last month because they had too many.

 

[andymcc]

And, my Death Smiles stick shipped this morning. As is customary, I'll put photos of it in the Arcade Stick thread after it arrives from the other side of the country, but I'll also put them here.

does the stick use sanwa or seimetsu parts? i really want one, hopefully hori will do one for Mushihime.

 

[sixteen-bit]

does the stick use sanwa or seimetsu parts? i really want one, hopefully hori will do one for Mushihime.

Sanwa lever, Hori buttons.

 

[andymcc]

Sanwa lever, Hori buttons.

i think i'd probably a-ok using my sfiv te. :lol

 

[Yes Boss!]

Sanwa lever, Hori buttons.

The big question, of course, is if it uses a direct solder board for the cheapy clones. I'm hoping, since they've never used a board on a 360 stick, that they might have quick disconnect like the Oto-G release. Hey, it might even have an octo gate! Nah, who am I kidding. :lol

 

[RickA238]

does the stick use sanwa or seimetsu parts? i really want one, hopefully hori will do one for Mushihime.

I've never been too hot on arcade sticks, I think they're cool and all, but I'd rather just use a d-pad. That goes for fighters and shmups. I don't like being forced to sit down with a stick on my lap, or on a table while I'm playing, I like to stand up some of the time. A stick for fighting games makes less sense to me when you have a group of friends who play the game; you go over to a friend's house to play, and they may not have a stick. You're then forced to use a controller, which you're not used to. Either that, or you bring over your $300 stick. That being said, it would be cool to get the Death Smiles one, but only for collection purposes as I wouldn't really use it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

The big question, of course, is if it uses direct solder board for the cheapy clones. I'm hoping, since they've never used a board on a 360 stick, that they might have quick disconnect like the Oto-G release. Hey, it might even have an octo gate! Nah, who am I kidding. :lol

Watch Hori use a modified EX2 PCB :lol

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Man I wrote NCS asking if they stock Jasper J-360s and they haven't gotten back to me. Where did you guys with J-360s order yours from?

I still have to get those two games but collectively they go for $350+.

HOLY SHIT WHAT.

I wish the Neo Geo hadn't died. Maybe then all those asshole collectors woulda left my Cave games alone. The console versions are going for more than the PCBs used to! That's insane. I missed Ketsui DS and I can't bring myself to pay 3x retail for it.

I only have the Best version of Mushi. Had to give up the LE. I don't even wanna look up how much it's worth now...not that it really matters. I didn't care about the toy and it's just different box art.

Mushihime on Original isn't too bad though it actually feels closer to a Psikyo shooter at times(faster spreads but they're less complicated).

I liked how Cave was filling in the gaps left by the death of their competitors. Mushi was kinda Psikyo, Ibara's very Raizing, I remember Espgaluda 2 looking kinda Compile-ish but I didn't watch too many videos cuz it hurt cuz I couldn't play it.

I still have to get those two games but collectively they go for $350+. A little rich for my blood. I guess I really should just swallow the pill and at least get Ibara. Isn't Mushihemesama just ridiculously tough, anyways?

Ibara's way harder than Mushi. Mushi has multiple modes and...I can't remember which ones are easier but I got decently far in it.

I dunno if the prices on DC stuff has gone up yet but last I checked most domestic DC shooters were going cheap. That might be a good next step in shooter collectin' - who knows if the prices will get all goofy someday soon.

Another annoying noob question

Will the Otem G game go rare? Basically Should I get that or DonDon BL for my next purchase in a month? Yes, I'm still new to the import Shump scene :lol

DDP sounds like it has issues but I bet it ends up being rarer than Otomedius. Cave games are hot with collectors it sux. You're probably better off buying the PS2 version of DOJ but I have no idea how much that goes for now and don't have the heart to look it up.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

I liked how Cave was filling in the gaps left by the death of their competitors. Mushi was kinda Psikyo, Ibara's very Raizing, I remember Espgaluda 2 looking kinda Compile-ish but I didn't watch too many videos cuz it hurt cuz I couldn't play it.

I keep thinking Cave is going to collect every 2D shooter director who still loves working in the genre while at the same time extending a hand to fledgling talents looking to make their mark. They'd merge with G.Rev and the remnants of other former developers and start a new dynasty that outlives the FPS generation a thousandfold.

Then I realized there's less than a 50,000 people in the world interested in shooters these days. =/

 

[RickA238]

I missed Ketsui DS and I can't bring myself to pay 3x retail for it.

I only have the Best version of Mushi. Had to give up the LE. I don't even wanna look up how much it's worth now...not that it really matters. I didn't care about the toy and it's just different box art.

Ketsui DS isn't really that much, is it? Last I saw, it was selling for around $100. That's more like 2x. I still haven't played my copy.

That LE is stupid hard to find, I think I've seen it on eBay once. I think I saw it sold for ~$300 a few months ago

I dunno if the prices on DC stuff has gone up yet but last I checked most domestic DC shooters were going cheap. That might be a good next step in shooter collectin' - who knows if the prices will get all goofy someday soon.

Most DC prices are pretty ground, save for a Border Down LE which goes for like $200. You can usually find a mint US Mars Matrix for =<$50

DDP sounds like it has issues but I bet it ends up being rarer than Otomedius. Cave games are hot with collectors it sux. You're probably better off buying the PS2 version of DOJ but I have no idea how much that goes for now and don't have the heart to look it up.

I wouldn't be surprised if the original print of 360 DOJ got expensive because of the halted print run and the altered scoring mechanics. Collectors can be weird like that. A mint PS2 DOJ can be had for like $50; probably the best value you can find on any shmup, that game is phenomenal.

 

[shintoki]

I get lost so easy in this thread :lol
So I should get the PS2 version of DonDon? Since the 360 one has problems?

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Get PS2 DDP DOJ. Or Espgaluda. I'd say it's the better game and maybe my favorite shooter. Very friendly if you're easing yourself into the genre.

Ketsui DS isn't really that much, is it? Last I saw, it was selling for around $100. That's more like 2x. I still haven't played my copy.

Most of the ebay listings are around $130 I think. Saw one used for $100. Even that's too much...I have a hard time paying a premium on a console game. Especially one so recent.

 

[andymcc]

Get PS2 DDP DOJ. Or Espgaluda. I'd say it's the better game and maybe my favorite shooter. Very friendly if you're easing yourself into the genre.


Most of the ebay listings are around $130 I think. Saw one used for $100. Even that's too much...I have a hard time paying a premium on a console game. Especially one so recent.

i wouldn't even pay full-price for a boss rush, personally. :lol

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

I'm not big on boss rush either but I've played the game and it was better than expected! But not $100+ better.

 

[Wehrwolf]

About Ketsui DS:

Its a lot more in depth than most boss-rushes.. It *does* actually feel like a full release, with tons of achievement-type goals and lots of progressively more difficult modes.

Very impressive that they pulled it off on the DS, and its also neat to get it full screen (my eyes have a hard time seeing on some bullet hell games in the small vertical letterboxes you get on console ports of them, and my tv wouldnt like being turned on its side)

The unlocklables are a very nice and overall thorough strategy-teaching series of stuff for both the DS and arcade versions of Ketsui that help me appreciate the game more, to the extent that I'll get a lot more out of the J360 port once it comes out.

Definately was easily worth full price to me and one of my favorite non-RPGs for the DS(luckily, I got it before the price skyrocketed), but yeah, tough call about it being worth the current price levels.

Edit: While there are a few gameplay videos in the unlockables, the stuff that I really liked for strategy-teaching was in Japanese (text/voice), so I guess non-JPN speakers wouldn't get anything out of that, and the unlocking of those wouldn't be near as much motivation, so I guess I wouldn't recommend it quite as much if you're not interested in that part of the game.

 

[andymcc]

i got my deathsmiles today, now i just have to wait for my j360. :lol

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

i got my deathsmiles today, now i just have to wait for my j360. :lol

Where did you order from? I've got one coming from Play-Asia, along with Otomedius, DOJ, and a points card. Figured if I was gonna take a risk on a j360 I may as well take a huge one! They wrote me this morning saying they no longer stock the model I ordered and that some new model is coming on Wednesday. Googling the model # shows they're Jaspers so I'm PUMPED. Hopefully it gets here fast.

I wrote NCS last ...Thursday I think? asking if they stock Jaspers (the info on their site says they have Falcons) and they didn't get back to me til this morning. Would have preferred to go with them as the shipping's cheaper and faster, but I live in New York so I have to pay sales tax. I would have saved money but not that much. Plus I don't see any points cards on their site. I'm usually anti-DLC but I will make an exception for Cave.

Edit: or did you not order at all and are waiting before buying a j360?!

Also while lying in bed last night (Oh God the sad things I dream about) I remembered that Espgaluda 2 isn't the game that looked kinda Compile-ish. It was Pink Sweets. But maybe I'm wrong on that too...there was some recent game that looked like it had a Compile power-up system! I haven't been keeping up with the newer games cuz being unable to play them hurts.

 

[andymcc]

Where did you order from? I've got one coming from Play-Asia, along with Otomedius, DOJ, and a points card. Figured if I was gonna take a risk on a j360 I may as well take a huge one! They wrote me this morning saying they no longer stock the model I ordered and that some new model is coming on Wednesday. Googling the model # shows they're Jaspers so I'm PUMPED. Hopefully it gets here fast.

I wrote NCS last ...Thursday I think? asking if they stock Jaspers (the info on their site says they have Falcons) and they didn't get back to me til this morning. Would have preferred to go with them as the shipping's cheaper and faster, but I live in New York so I have to pay sales tax. I would have saved money but not that much. Plus I don't see any points cards on their site. I'm usually anti-DLC but I will make an exception for Cave.

Edit: or did you not order at all and are waiting before buying a j360?!

Also while lying in bed last night (Oh God the sad things I dream about) I remembered that Espgaluda 2 isn't the game that looked kinda Compile-ish. It was Pink Sweets. But maybe I'm wrong on that too...there was some recent game that looked like it had a Compile power-up system! I haven't been keeping up with the newer games cuz being unable to play them hurts.

i don't even have a j360 ordered. :lol i'll probably end up buying my j360 from yahoo japan auctions with fromjapan or something like that

 

[GhostSeed]

NCS just emailed saying they'll ship my copy of Death Smiles LE later this week. Now like the rest of you all I need is a JPN 360. :lol

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

The main thing that kills me about the J360 is the shipping. I need to find somebody going on vacation to Japan and pay him to bring me back one.

Or better yet if five hundred different people gave me dollar apiece my problems would be solved.

 

[andymcc]

The main thing that kills me about the J360 is the shipping. I need to find somebody going on vacation to Japan and pay him to bring me back one.

Or better yet if five hundred different people gave me dollar apiece my problems would be solved.

i think it ships for $10 on ground w/ ncsx... but, if you live in NY, you might get fucked by taxes. :lol

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Yeah, the ground shipping isn't bad. It's $10 to NY, $20 to California. Still a lot but not as much as $70 from PA. But NCS charges $10 more for the 360 itself, so that + shipping + tax + no pointz that I could find lead to me going with PA. Oh yeah, and I had a coupon. I hope I don't have to deal with any customs shit. I've imported plenty of stuff but nothing nearly as big and heavy as a 360.

No Death Smiles in the mail for me today. I wonder if it'll get here after the 360. I went with the $3 shipping. I wasn't planning on buying a console so soon. Oops.

 

[andymcc]

Yeah, the ground shipping isn't bad. It's $10 to NY, $20 to California. Still a lot but not as much as $70 from PA. But NCS charges $10 more for the 360 itself, so that + shipping + tax + no pointz that I could find lead to me going with PA. Oh yeah, and I had a coupon. I hope I don't have to deal with any customs shit. I've imported plenty of stuff but nothing nearly as big and heavy as a 360.

No Death Smiles in the mail for me today. I wonder if it'll get here after the 360. I went with the $3 shipping. I wasn't planning on buying a console so soon. Oops.

i did the $3 shipping and got it today. and i live in ohio.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Well that isn't too bad then. To Florida it's only $11 and some change.
Now if only something could be done about those $50 to $80 games. =/

The Cave shooters though will go beyond $100 though which sucks so damn bad.

 

[andymcc]

Well that isn't too bad then. To Florida it's only $11 and some change.
Now if only something could be done about those $50 to $80 games. =/

The Cave shooters though will go beyond $100 though which sucks so damn bad.

yeah. i didn't pick up ibara when it came out because i didn't like the game enough, figured i'd wait for a price drop. :lol

 

[Arpharmd B]

Play-Asia shipped my order! Holy shit!

Guys, if you recieved that email saying they could not fill your order, DONT LOSE HOPE. I recieved that email, and my order was > the number of orders they could fill, and they still filled it.

Fuck yes.

Now, ahem, I just uhhh, need to get a J360 ..... :/

 

[RyanDG]

I was just running a few numbers for my blog, and Deathsmiles had the highest sales for opening week out of all traditional shooters this generation released so far, and also beat out Ibara for Cave's last PS2 outing.

Not bad.

 

[Yes Boss!]

My DS is finally arriving tomorrow via UPS. So hot for it. Hopefully my stick will arrive on Friday or Monday. Ordered Violet Seimitsu buttons and bubble knob to mimic the DS Stick that appeared in the photo on Shmup Forum. So Death Smiles has set me back a total just about $450, yikes. Still cheaper than the PCB.

I was just running a few numbers for my blog, and Deathsmiles had the highest sales for opening week out of all traditional shooters this generation released so far, and also beat out Ibara for Cave's last PS2 outing.

Can I get a link to your blog, if you don't mind?

 

[sixteen-bit]

My DS is finally arriving tomorrow via UPS. So hot for it. Hopefully my stick will arrive on Friday or Monday. Ordered Violet Seimitsu buttons and bubble knob to mimic the DS Stick that appeared in the photo on Shmup Forum. So Death Smiles has set me back a total just about $450, yikes. Still cheaper than the PCB.



Can I get a link to your blog, if you don't mind?

link is in his profile
http://www.arcade-renaissance.com/

YB!, what do you do for a living? Just curious.

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Play-Asia shipped my 360 yesterday and it got here today! Damn! Death Smiles hasn't arrived yet though.

I know it's OT but Otomedius seems like total trash. The arcade mode is incredibly easy. The original mode seems better but your bullets are near impossible to see. It's got no oomph. The laser just seems to be a steadier stream of bullets that turn blue rather than, y'know, a laser. And the whole premise is just creepy - I was worried someone would walk into the living room and catch me watching the opening FMV with all the giant tits and little girls. Kinda regretting this one!

The DDP DOJ port really is as bad as everyone says. Seriously the worst menus I can recall in a console game. Like...the leaderboards. If you filter by friends it puts the lower scoring players on top? Have you ever seen a game that keeps the top score on the bottom of the list? I didn't think the game was even uploading my scores at first. Eventually I realized that even after turning on the the My Score filter I had to flip through a few blank pages before my score turned up.

And you never know how to exit a menu - it may be A, it may be B, it may be Start! It's always a surprise!

And the load times are SO long.

But the game itself seems kinda OK? There were spots that did not feel right to me but it's been so long since I played DOJ that it may just be me misremembering (and I was never that good at the game to begin with), but seeing a list like this makes me think it probably wasn't in my head.

I really hope they follow through on their promise to patch it. The game deserves better than this.

If Death Smiles doesn't show up tomorrow I'll cry.

Oh yeah, NCS bumped the price on their J360s up by $20, making them $30 more than Play-Asia's. Turns out I came out ahead by going with PA! The complimentary candy was kinda lousy this time though.

 

[Yes Boss!]

link is in his profile
http://www.arcade-renaissance.com/

YB!, what do you do for a living? Just curious.

Thanks for the link...I forget to check profiles for info.

Right now, I work graveyard at a Shell Station in beautiful Orange County! But I'm going back to school in LA currently. I've already got my degree in Film Studies and French (2001 UCSB) but never did anything with it.

 

[RyanDG]

Thanks for the link...I forget to check profiles for info.

Don't expect much from the link - I stopped blogging about mid-August and just started back up this week with a much slower pace. Its definitely not any cutting edge blog or anything. Just a random place for me to post about stuff i find interesting in regards to the classic arcade genres.

 

[Bebpo]

I got my Death Smiles today and hadn't realized that it had online coop? That's really cool. I'd love to see that in all shmups from now on along with online rankings and downloadable replays.

Play-Asia shipped my 360 yesterday and it got here today! Damn! Death Smiles hasn't arrived yet though.

I know it's OT but Otomedius seems like total trash. The arcade mode is incredibly easy. The original mode seems better but your bullets are near impossible to see. It's got no oomph. The laser just seems to be a steadier stream of bullets that turn blue rather than, y'know, a laser. And the whole premise is just creepy - I was worried someone would walk into the living room and catch me watching the opening FMV with all the giant tits and little girls. Kinda regretting this one!

The DDP DOJ port really is as bad as everyone says. Seriously the worst menus I can recall in a console game. Like...the leaderboards. If you filter by friends it puts the lower scoring players on top? Have you ever seen a game that keeps the top score on the bottom of the list? I didn't think the game was even uploading my scores at first. Eventually I realized that even after turning on the the My Score filter I had to flip through a few blank pages before my score turned up.

And you never know how to exit a menu - it may be A, it may be B, it may be Start! It's always a surprise!

And the load times are SO long.

But the game itself seems kinda OK? There were spots that did not feel right to me but it's been so long since I played DOJ that it may just be me misremembering (and I was never that good at the game to begin with), but seeing a list like this makes me think it probably wasn't in my head.

I really hope they follow through on their promise to patch it. The game deserves better than this.

If Death Smiles doesn't show up tomorrow I'll cry.

Oh yeah, NCS bumped the price on their J360s up by $20, making them $30 more than Play-Asia's. Turns out I came out ahead by going with PA! The complimentary candy was kinda lousy this time though.

Yeah I felt pretty much the same way about Otomedius. Otoh I did think original mode was loads better because it went back to 1 hit kill unless 1 hit shield like Gradius. Still it's one of the weaker X360 shmups imo. I played it for a few days and never felt the need to go back and spend more time with it.

You should check out Raiden 4 if you haven't. Raiden Fighters Aces is still the better game, but Raiden 4 is quality. I hated Raiden 3. I thought it was slow, ugly, and boring. Raiden 4 is intense and looks pretty nice.

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

Yeah I generally don't like health bar shooters. Original is the better mode but it's still lacking.

If Raiden IV isn't localized by the end of the year I'll likely import it. Dunno if I'll bother with Shooting Love, even though I'm one of the few who didn't think Trizeal was a total turd. Can't remember if there are any other 360 shooters...I guess Shikigami 3 but I didn't really like the first two. Plus it has a Wii port.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Yeah I hate Raiden III but everyone is saying R4 is great so it'll probably be my next pickup after the entire Cave library of 360 import shooters.

Not sure how R4 is going to get localised though. Raiden Fighter Aces is THREE games for $20. How is anyone going to justify selling ONE similar-looking game for $20 or more?

 

[shintoki]

Your scaring me about importing DDP DOJ :lol Is it really that bad?

 

[manzo]

Got my Death Smiles yesterday! Got to the last boss with one credit (on level 1 and level2 lolz), but it really seems that the game really kicks in when played on level 3.

The lava stage is just so fucking intense, I love it.

Time to send an email to YesAsia again, the re-shipment of Dodonpachi hasn't arrived and it was sent 2 weeks before Death Smiles. It's like God is trying to keep me away from the game, should I take this sign seriously? :lol

 

[t3nmilez]

I know it's OT but Otomedius seems like total trash. The arcade mode is incredibly easy. The original mode seems better but your bullets are near impossible to see. It's got no oomph. The laser just seems to be a steadier stream of bullets that turn blue rather than, y'know, a laser. And the whole premise is just creepy - I was worried someone would walk into the living room and catch me watching the opening FMV with all the giant tits and little girls. Kinda regretting this one!

I get the feeling you didn't play the game very long. As you progress through the arcade mode, you get more difficulty levels to choose from on the level select screen. Putting it on Expert should give you plenty of challenge. Also, your comment about the laser is odd...are you sure you're hitting the normal fire button and not the rapid-fire button?

I wouldn't say that Otomedius is in the top-tier of shooters, but I really had a lot of fun with it. It's more casual, you can just chill out and blast stuff, or you can ramp up the difficulty and challenge yourself. Really though, all the fun happens when you start unlocking weapon cards and customizing your favorite ship to be completely destructive! Usually when I see complaints, it's from people that played a couple of rounds, didn't bother unlocking weapons, and didn't really understand how to play the game. Spend some more time with it!

Anyway, I've been playing the DS port on and off, good port but I played the arcade version a lot and I find the game really easy now. I'll wait for MBL to come out before I play it seriously.

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

I keep seeing people sayin' Raiden IV's comin' and I believe everything people say so I think it might come here! But now I almost hope it doesn't. I need to justify this stupid purchase I just made!

I never even bothered trying Raiden 3 since I haven't seen any positive impressions of it.

Your scaring me about importing DDP DOJ :lol Is it really that bad?

It depends on your tolerance for load times, terrible menus, and general glitchiness. It seems playable and it's still enjoyable but it's not ideal. I'm not sure that would matter if you haven't played the game before though. If you enjoy Cave games you will probably have a good time. But unless they deliver on the patch the PS2 version's the way to go, even though it has less content.

I get the feeling you didn't play the game very long. As you progress through the arcade mode, you get more difficulty levels to choose from on the level select screen. Putting it on Expert should give you plenty of challenge. Also, your comment about the laser is odd...are you sure you're hitting the normal fire button and not the rapid-fire button?

I was hitting X and A. Are they both rapid fire? I had it set to auto power up if that makes a difference.

I really don't know much about the game. Just that it's a -dius, the arcade version had a touch screen, and the scoring mechanics are just "kill everything" (right?). I dunno if I'm hot on the idea of unlocking stuff. I did notice the level select, and I did choose one of the more difficult stages at one point. I'll give it another shot tomorrow.

Does the MBL DLC have a date? I thought it was already out but I couldn't find it on the marketplace.